The Love Sickness
No sex until marriage
The next three months of my life were filled with dreams and major excitement. I can recall a dream I had while waiting for delivery. It started on a picnic with my family. After a fun day out in the sun we packed up and drove home. On the way home we pulled up to a set of lights beside a convertible red Corvette with those big “454″ chrome Icons on the side of the fenders. As the dream continues our eyes meet followed by a mutual “Let’s Race” nod. The light turns green and we roar away – neck and neck. I hear the kids and wife cheering me on the “floor it” daddy. As I press my foot to the floor I find no end. The gas pedal has no stopping point and every time I press it the G-force becomes more intense … I wake up in a cold sweat and realize it was all a dream.
I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve as the days drew nearer, waiting for Santa Claus to arrive. I remember counting weeks, days, hours, finally minutes.
Marriage
Exchanging Vows
On June 15, 1987 we drove to Colborg Ontario in the 1982 BMW 320i turbocharged with Alpena suspension. In a second car, another group of friends followed driving a Volkswagen rabbit tuned to European specifications. The orgasmic moment has arrived as I take delivery of my new 1987 Grand National. The biggest disappointment on this day was the rain falling like cats and dogs. I had approximately 160 kilometers to get back to my hometown in a brand new car with more power than any other car built in North America this year. What do you think is on my mind? I could not resist stepping on the gas to accelerate onto a busy highway. What a terrible mistake? All of a sudden the back of my new Grand National is almost parallel with the front. I struggled to gain control but luckily managed. From that moment forward I knew this would be a very special – long lasting relationship!
“I do solemnly swear to respect you in sickness and in pain” I remember thinking to myself within the first hour of ownership. My friends that were in the car with me at the time will never know what thoughts were really going through my head. In hindsight, it was a great way to gain total respect immediately for the rare class of car I was driving.